I don't believe in gravity. I believe in a being named God, and he built the universe, like a machine that started working at the Big Bang. It works as one, like an ocean. So really its Gods machine as a whole, not "gravity". You wouldn't be like "Do you believe in waves?". No, you would be like "Dude, the ocean is a fact"... And that's really what its all about. God is an obvious fact.

(20-10-2013 07:02 PM)Dom Wrote: So basically you are just saying you are in awe of nature?

You're getting there. I'm in awe of nature, but I am firmly rooted in the belief of an eternal, transcendental spirit (named God), who is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omnibenevolent. Both sentiments are core to my belief system.

So then, are you saying that from all eternity, your god exists ?
Define "eternal", and "omnipresent" please.
Do you know how many children starved to death today ? Slow agonizing deaths, while their mothers watched.

Insufferable know-it-all.
Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music - Friedrich Nietzsche

(20-10-2013 01:42 PM)The_Thinking_Theist Wrote: What do the majority of Atheists really know about evolution?

Many of them misunderstand it but by the same token most YECs aren't familiar with the details of the YEC arguments propounded by Morris.

Quote:How many people here have actually read Origin of Species?

I don't agree that it is necessary to read On the Origin of Species to understand biological evolution. Since it was published in 1859 you would have to read other--more recent--texts to arrive at the current understanding of evolution. I would argue that if you have only read Darwin's book you have an incomplete understanding of evolution. I also don't think Darwin's book is a good introduction to evolutionary biology.

If you study a current textbook on the topic you will gain an above average understanding of the topic. (See also this.)

Quote:So have you really, really evaluated all the options? Even the ridiculous ones?

Obviously ridiculous options are not worth evaluating because there is an infinite number of false hypotheses that can be generated. If you give me 60 minutes I can invent a ridiculous theory of speciation and that would not be worth investigating. Time and money are limited and there is an existing body of reliable background knowledge so we shouldn't (and don't need to) treat every hypothesis as having merit.

Well, we know Jesus was real because we have Roman records documenting the crucifixion of Yeshua ben-Yusef (Jesus Christ). Omnibenevolence is true. You just have to be open to God, keep an open mind and in my experience all troubles are few. Still there, but few.

(20-10-2013 07:00 PM)The_Thinking_Theist Wrote: I believe that God made the Big Bang and all natural wonders we discover using the Scientific Method...This begs the question, if Buddha (God) is in that stick, in you, in me, and in everything, is that another way of saying that nothing is sacred? Does that mean that we're God? And yet I know that God is his own being, transcendent of everything of the Multiverse. That my friends, is the Mystery.

Is the stick in you the same stick that is in me? Does the stick know it is a stick? Does it have to be a stick, can any elongated thing do the job? I would say that nothing is sacred except the stick. If I have a stick in me I think that makes me less of a God and more of a meat popsicle.

(20-10-2013 08:58 PM)The_Thinking_Theist Wrote: Well, we know Jesus was real because we have Roman records documenting the crucifixion of Yeshua ben-Yusef (Jesus Christ). Omnibenevolence is true. You just have to be open to God, keep an open mind, and like me, all troubles are few. Still there, but few.

Please tell us what those Roman records are, that "document the crucifixion", and where we can find them, and then define the terms you used.

Insufferable know-it-all.
Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music - Friedrich Nietzsche

(20-10-2013 07:00 PM)The_Thinking_Theist Wrote: I believe that God made the Big Bang and all natural wonders we discover using the Scientific Method...This begs the question, if Buddha (God) is in that stick, in you, in me, and in everything, is that another way of saying that nothing is sacred? Does that mean that we're God? And yet I know that God is his own being, transcendent of everything of the Multiverse. That my friends, is the Mystery.

Is the stick in you the same stick that is in me? Does the stick know it is a stick? Does it have to be a stick, can any elongated thing do the job? I would say that nothing is sacred except the stick. If I have a stick in me I think that makes me less of a God and more of a meat popsicle.

I can hardly find an online copy of Roman records, it's mentioned somewhere in the New York Times. Regardless, the New Testament has overwhelming evidence for being a historical document, albeit not a good spiritual one. It's used for much of our knowledge of the Assyrian Empire and is quoted in secular textbooks as fact.